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Government 2020: Envisioning the ePublic Sector

A confluence of social, economic, and technology trends is poised to transform the way governments serve citizens. Are public sector CIOs ready?

The pace of change continues to accelerate.Technology once seen only in science fiction films now sits in the palm of a hand. Innovative business models are not only succeeding but scaling rapidly.

The same trends and forces currently remaking business and society are also transforming the way government operates and serves citizens, a process examined in Gov2020, an extensive study by Deloitte Services LP’s Brand and Eminence group.

Over the next 15 years, government will evolve in unprecedented ways as technological, societal, economic, and demographic forces catalyze an evolution in the operations and delivery of public services across all domains of government.

To prepare for the future, government CIOs and other leaders must first be able to imagine it. Consider how the public sector and the citizens it serves could leverage the following technologies in 2020:

Robotics. The impact of robotics will be felt across many areas. In health care, robotic systems could dispense drugs in pharmacies and sterilize surgical tools. The increasing use of robots and drones in warfare and defense will blur the definition of war. By 2020, we could even see robot assistants for teachers in some classrooms.

Sensors. Entire networks of sensors will dot roadways, traffic systems, vehicles, and airports, to make real-time traffic management, automated driving, and self-service airports a reality. Wearable sensors will make it possible for doctors and social workers to remotely monitor patients, or clients with substance abuse issues. On the battlefield, defense medics will receive information on an injured soldier’s vitals, extent of injury, and exposure to chemical agents through more sophisticated sensors.

Geospatial Technology. Thanks to the expanding influence of geospatial technology, location will take on a new significance in the public sector. For example, environmental agencies could use geospatial analytics to defend against natural disasters, while health and human services agencies will target their program interventions based on location-specific patterns. Meanwhile, law enforcement will leverage GPS-enabled mobile devices track a low-risk offender’s every move—keeping him out of prison, but virtually incarcerated.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. With advances in automation and the advent of ‘intelligent automation,’ drones or unmanned aerial vehicles will be used widely in 2020. From being law enforcement’s ‘eyes in the sky’ and preventing crime, to delivering vaccines to remote areas, UAVs will alter how certain services are provided.

In the following Gov2020 video, learn more about what is possible—technologically and otherwise—for the future of government, including the areas of defense, education, health care, human services, energy and the environment, law and justice, and transportation.

About Deloitte Insights

Deloitte Insights for CIOs couples broad business insights with deep technical knowledge to help executives drive business and technology strategy, support business transformation, and enhance growth and productivity. Through fact-based research, technology perspectives and analyses, case studies and more, Deloitte Insights for CIOs informs the essential conversations in global, technology-led organizations. Learn more.

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